New chin not eating? [I'm sorry for all these threads. xD]

[JessePolicy]

I just got my first chin yesterday, her owner said to feed her at around 8 pm. I'm planning on gradually switching her to open feeding, but she didn't touch her food at all last night or this morning. It looks like she ate some hay, but all her pellets are still in her bowl.

Is this just a stress-of-a-new-home thing or could it be worse?

 

[tunes]

Lots of things can affect a chin's eating habits -- a new home, temperature change, humidity change, new feed, etc. I may be getting your threads mixed up, but weren't you doing a cold food switch? If so, it may take her a few days to adjust to the new feed. If you're not doing a cold food switch, just provide plenty of hay and don't panic. A chin can survive on just hay for quite a while. I also wouldn't be so sure she didn't touch any of her food. She may have grabbed a pellet here and there while she munched her hay. Just because the bowl isn't empty, doesn't mean she didn't eat.

 

[JessePolicy]

I've not done the cold switch yet, I'm just picking the junky stuff out for now until I can get out and buy the stuff. I'll just be sure to give her plenty of hay and time to adjust.

Thanks.

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

Also beside what Tunes said - they often eat only half of the pellet and let the other half drop back in the bowl. So look to see if there are half sized pellet left in the bowl. They also often won't eat the other half at all Chins LOVE to waste food

 

[tinkerbell2002]

It could just be from all the traveling she's still probably adjusting and stress is a part of it. Give it a one or two days and if she's still not eating check to see if she's pooping at all.

 

[JessePolicy]

She seems to be eating most of her hay, and I have found poop in her cage, but her pellets bowl is still full. :\ She seems to be opening up to me though.

 

[Laurie]

If there is food in the cage for her she will not starve herself. Animals are not like us that way. She is most likely out of sorts from the move.

 

[Essentia]

If there is food in the cage for her she will not starve herself. Animals are not like us that way. She is most likely out of sorts from the move.

I used to agree with this until I got Axel. I tried that method and he was literally starving himself. He lost over 100g. in two weeks. That's when I took him to the vet thinking he had a teeth issue. Lo and behold they were absolutely fine. He would have continued to starve himself if I didn't start to hand feed him until I figured out what he would eat. Now he is on Mazuri, and a very slight amount of hay (which is all he will eat). To this day though he still isn't a super big eater.

So, I will agree with you, to a point. Most normal animals will not starve themselves. Apparently Axel isn't normal.

 

[moon]

I have to agree with Essentia - I too did not think a chin would starve itself, but had one that did just that. When I switched from Tradition to PANR I thought everyone was eating. He was in with his mate and she was pregnant so eating more than he was, which made me think he was eating more than he was. They were in a bottom cage, and I didn't notice it until he'd lost a great deal of weight. I tried several different things to get him back up to weight, but he never did gain it back, and eventually died.

Don't make a judgement on one day though, and if he's eating hay that's a good thing. Give him a few days to get used to being in a new house/situation. Sometimes they go off their feed for a little bit when big changes come around. Especially if you're picking out all the junky stuff - that may have been what he was eating in the first place. It may take some time for him to adjust to the new healthier feed. Keep feeding him lots of hay, and keep offering the food. If he doesn't start eating some pellets in the next week or so, then I would worry.

 

[JessePolicy]

She's still not eating much pellets. Only hay. Haven't made the food switch yet, though.. I plan on it sometime this weekend. I'm still seeing poop in her cage which I'm hoping is a good sign.

 

[Ronda]

Keep an eye on her water too. You can put a rubber band around the water level and see what she drinks. If she is not drinking then rub a raisin on the water nipple. When you change her feed over you can put goodies sealed tight with the new food - especially anything with molasis on it - and I believe the flavor is absorbed into the food and makes it more tasty for the chin. You may not want to take all her treats away from her to start with either, as maybe that is part of what she is surviving on. As always the Timothy is most important - they can live without the pellets.

Good luck!

Ronda